History and My Granddaddy

The most memorable hero and role model in my life was my maternal Grandfather, Graham Hammonds.

He was born in 1895, one of ten children, raised on a farm in the days
when everything was done by hand or with mules, he learned early on that
if there was to be food on the table and a roof over their heads, it
would have to be taken from the stubborn Carolina farm lands or the
woods and waters where game and fish abounded in those days.

He
took full responsibility for himself and his family; he could build a
house or a boat and grow crops. He was a master hunter, fisherman and a
natural leader of men. His word was better than any contract a bevy of
the best attorneys could draw up and he was strong and masculine with a
great respect for and faith in God.

I grew up in a world of men
of this ilk, honest, self-sufficient and responsible with a "whatever it
takes to get the job done" work ethic, but Granddaddy was a cut above
and the undisputed patriarch of the family. In times of trouble there
was nobody better to have around, he faced it head on.

He is the epitome of my idea of what a man should be and the ruler I use to gage the measure of a man.

The presidents of my early days were father figures, with strength of
conviction and the courage to act. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, men of
action who admittedly made mistakes but lead the country from the
vanguard, took responsibility for their own actions and moved boldly
forth, fighting wars, making decisions on what they thought was best for
the security and prosperity of the country, not hiding behind polls and
blaming their shortcomings on previous administrations.

Even the
major male movie stars of my time were men like John Wayne, Gary Cooper
and Humphrey Bogart, projecting an image of unabashed masculine
strength.

When I look at a mealy mouthed political hack like
Harry Reid or the hear the empty patrician platitudes of a John Kerry or
watch Barack Obama flounder around, hiding from major decisions,
blaming everybody but himself for the deplorable state of American
foreign policy, deceiving, lying, appointing clueless cronies to
positions of great power it makes me wonder what has happened to the
American male.

When Obama walks on to the world stage with the
likes of Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu he's like a deer in the
headlights compared to the strength these other leaders exude.

What Obama has let happen in Iraq is tantamount to disrespecting the
blood that was shed there by America's finest, giving up the hard won
gains they made and leaving the nation of Iraq worse off than it was
when we went there and creating a base of operations for international
terror operations.

His policies were not reckoned on the security
of Iraq or even that of America, but bald-faced lies catering to the
political base he figures will keep the democrat party in power.
Everything is politics with this man.

Afghanistan will soon
follow Iraq and fall right back into the hands of Islamic radicals as
soon as the last American troops are pulled out.

When I look at
the field of potential candidates emerging in the Republican ranks right
now what I see are some good men, but no one with the boldness and
personal conviction to stand up and tell the country the whole truth,
the audacity to fight the entrenched eco-lobbies tooth and nail to open
the plentiful resources of domestic energy production, to remove the
suffocating and silly government regulations and burdensome corporate
taxes that chase manufacturing offshore.

Somebody to bring the
IRS to heel, curb the excesses at NSA, put people to work instead of on
food stamps, to rebuild and restore presidential respect and support for
our military, put a competent butt kicker in charge of the Veterans
Administration and appoint an attorney general who enforces all the laws
not just the ones they agree with.

Somebody who respects,
defends and rules by the constitution and the rest of the federal
papers, who would drastically reduce the size and government and curb
the powers of the EPA and the rest of the superfluous and redundant
government agencies that plague the progress of this nation.

Someone who, without fear of offending, would root out the enclaves of
radicals and terror cells in the homeland, expand the fast strike
military forces, restrict the sale of American businesses to foreign
countries.

Someone with faith in God, and who truly believes in American exceptionalism.

Charlie, It's over buddy, a man such as the one you describe, even if he did exist, could not win election in the U.S. in the 21st century, when you have a governor in California who reportedly stated last week to illegal immigrants through the media "you're all welcome in California". You see CD the seeds are being planted little by little, for this country, which was built by men like your Grandaddy and mine, who by the way was the only father figure I really had and who was a small town southern Sheriff, to be supplanted by it's enemies foreign and domestic. The "bad" Muslims now have launching pads all over this country to infiltrate,launch and recruit from if they so desired. Been through Tennessee lately? The Chinese if they so desire would not have to fire a shot they'll just buy us out of house and home as they'll soon call in the loan on the trillions of dollars we owe them. Publius Cornelius Scipio after defeating Carthage (modern day North Africa) was found weeping while watching the city he just defeated burn and his troops celebrating, upon being asked why? he said I cannot stop thinking that this will one day be Rome's fate.....

It sure would be nice to have a president that actually has some leadership skills, the question is:is there one? I don't see one out there. There really hasn't been a true American leader since Ronald Reagan. The subsequent ones - Bush 41 (globalist), Clinton (sleazy), Bush II (inarticulate) now Obama (evil) have been getting worse and worse. I don't think either party is going to get a saviour at all.

It's scary to see how quickly this world changed from the kind of man your grandfather was to today's people who are dependent on, and fooled by today's society. Most people couldn't survive on their own means anymore. I thanks God for the few people I know who are sustaining themselves as much as they can. If we don't have a major turn around on our government, we are looking at a very grim future.
And Mr. Charlie Daniels: I fulfilled a long time wish to see you in concert- last week we saw you at the Opry and you were fantastic! My 6 year old daughter said "Wow momma - that old guy sure has a lot of function!" Thank You!

Amen & Amen Charlie, Nevada should have figured out the best place for Reid would be in one of it's whorehouses, and not as the piano player. I am not sure if bowing to political correctness has nipped the short hairs of many men or the feminine movement. Or maybe a lot of them just got plumb lazy and stupid on their own.
I can say with certainty that men like your Grandaddy are a dying breed and it is only being accelerated by all the government regulation that keep a man today from doing anything in arena building, without first getting uncle obama or one of his cronies to give you a permit to, put in a driveway, pour concrete, electrical work, plumbing, clean your ditch, and the list goes on and on.
I also believe that a lot of problem is single parent homes, God Bless single parent mothers, but how can they possibly teach their sons how to skin a coon, fix a car, roof the house or build a fence.
I am sure there are a few men that have the intestinal fortitude and guidance of the Almighty, that can and will lead this Country, if "We the People" have enough smarts to put them in the White House. Otherwise we let Obama and the like move our border to Guatemala and have a new Democratic voting block since many blacks like Dr Carson have woken up to the party of the Klan. God Bless Plowboy

I agree with everything except about The Republican candidates not turning the tide on all that. They all would, except Rand Paul, who just like his father, objectively speaking with absolutely no debate whatsoever is an absolute conscious and total traitor to our country because they come right out and basically scream that they would put no troops whatsoever back in Iraq to honor American blood. When people on hear support Rand Paul they are consciously and knowingly giving the middle finger to all who served, and there is no other word for them but "traitor". Ron Paul pissed all over Romney when he won instead of having the dignity to fight to save the country from Obama. Ron Paul is the lowest form of human being imaginable. Until Republicans ban the Pauls from the party, all they are doing is BEGGING Hillary to be president. Don't count me among the ones to be blamed.